A frustrated circus magician from Kansas is transported to a magical land called Oz, where he will have to fulfill a prophecy to become the king, and release the land from the Wicked Witches using his great (but fake) powers.

Storyline

Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking. That all changes, however, when he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.Written by
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Did You Know?

Trivia

Goofs

Theodora bit the apple. The red cloak slipped off her left shoulder then is restored. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Front Gate Barker:
Hurry, hurry, step this way. Get your tickets now. Don't be shut out, friend. Step this way. See the most wondrous sights imaginable. pulled from the four corners of the Earth. Acts to delight, to thrill and to mystify! Walk through these gates and into the world of wonder.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits are seen in a 1930s nickelodeon, with certain credits having their own qualities:

User Reviews

I saw "Oz the Great and Powerful" in theaters on it's opening weekend and I loved it. This movie had heart, a good storyline, a well-written script, emotion and some intense moments. It's not as much a prequel to the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz" as much as it is a reboot of the "Oz" franchise that acts as a prequel to the novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum (not that I've read the novel). As a reboot, I think it did the source material justice. As a prequel, it actually answered some of my questions. I think the reason some people were disappointed by "Oz the Great and Powerful" is because they had high expectations for it. I actually had very low expectations going into it and I was surprised by it. I thought it was going to be "Alice in Wonderland" but set in Oz and without the only reason to watch it (Johnny Depp). From the trailers and TV spots, it looked like it was made to cash-in with "Alice in Wonderland". It was so poorly marketed. But I thought the movie was one thousand times better than "Alice". I've seen "Oz the Great and Powerful" three times now and I don't see why some people may hate it. Sure it's almost all CG (but then so were "300" and "Avatar" and no one gave a crap) and the cast consists almost entirely of celebrities (but then again, Judy Garland was a celebrity) so I can sort of understand why it may feel like a turn-off. However, I can't name a bad thing about the movie and most of my friends who have seen it really enjoyed it like I did. While James Franco wasn't the best choice for the Oz character, I think he pulled it off very well. I think it's a much better prequel movie than "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" was. And I like "Star Wars" better than "Wizard of Oz" so I think that's saying something. "Oz the Great and Powerful" may not be a masterpiece or better than the classic but It's a "great and powerful" movie and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Don't listen to the haters. You're opinion is all that matters. I give this movie 10 stars out of 10.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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